STOPPED in its tracks in an upset by NLEX Friday, Barangay Ginebra tries to salvage whatever it can while NorthPort pushes its hot drive with hopes of getting the best finish it can.
The two teams clash at 6:45 p.m. at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig, each side trying to prop up their position in the third to the last play date of the PBA Commissioner's Cup single-round-robin eliminations.
Even with their 120-117 overtime loss to the Road Warriors, coach Tim Cone and his Ginebra troops still hold a chance to finish in the Top 2 and claim a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals. But their fate doesn't rest just in their hands.
Magnolia automatically takes second place behind top team Bay Area should the Hotshots sweep their last two games against the Meralco Bolts and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
In that scenario, the Gin Kings are to settle for a spot in the best-of-three quarters -- the very target the Batang Pier are looking for as they go for a closing 7-5 win-loss card in the elims.
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"We'll try to stretch our run and hope for the best o kung ano man ang seeding na makuha namin," said NorthPort coach Pido Jarencio.
Riding the crest of a three-game romp, Jarencio and his Batang Pier try to make it four in a row for a safe finish in the Top 6.
The Top 2 claim a win-once bonus in the playoffs while No. 3 plays No. 6 and No. 4 takes on No. 5 in a pair of best-of-three quarters. The seventh seed and the eighth seed advance to the quarters versus the twice-to-beat teams while the last four bomb out of the playoff picture.
Thus, the Kings are bent on bouncing back from their loss to the Road Warriors.
The Ginebra diehards are looking at a grander picture of a Ginebra sweep of its last two games against NorthPort and Converge. This scenario coupled by a Magnolia loss in at least one of its last two assignments would allow the Kings to take second seeding.
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But Cone would rather have his team to focus on their game at hand against the Batang Pier.
He braces for a battle, saying NorthPort has been playing well all tournament long. (SB)
